What is Bubble Hash?

If you spend time Googling the term “bubble hash” you’ll see a bunch of different explanations for what it is and how it got its name.

Some say it’s because bubble hash is so pure it bubbles when you smoke it. Others say it’s because this type of hash was developed by cannabis legend Bubbleman. Word is that Bubbleman started using ice water and a series of sieves to create a super-pure form of hash. The sieves eventually became known as “bubble bags.”

It’s most likely that bubble hash got its name from a combination of all the above. One way or another, the most important defining feature of bubble hash is how it’s made. This process accounts for its purity and many of its best qualities. This guide will give you all the information you need to know about bubble hash.

Cannabis Extracts 101: A Quick Introduction

For starters, bubble hash is a cannabis extract. There are tons of different types of extracts, and each one is defined largely by the method used to pull THC out of cannabis plant material.

Since extracts are basically just pure, isolated THC they are known for being super potent. There are a few different ways to get THC out of cannabis to make extracts. Here are the most common ones:

Butane

Butane is probably the most frequently used method for making extracts. When butane and cannabis interact, the chemical strips the plant of its THC and other cannabinoids. The butane is then evaporated away, leaving behind only the stuff that was taken out of the cannabis.

Extracts made this way are generally known as Butane Hash Oil, or BHO for short. The only potential drawback to these types of extracts is that butane is not safe to consume or inhale. This raises some potential health concerns for people using anything that has come into contact with the chemical.

CO2

It’s also possible to make extracts using carbon dioxide (CO2). This method is very similar to using butane. CO2 gas is cooled until it becomes a liquid. It’s then used to “wash” cannabis plants, stripping them of THC and other important cannabinoids.

The mixture is then heated up until the liquid CO2 turns back into a gas. At that point, you’re left with a clean and pure cannabis extract. CO2 extracts are generally considered cleaner and possibly safer than butane extracts. But they are also more expensive.

Heat and Pressure

Heat and pressure can be used to make a simple form of cannabis extract. In fact, you can make extracts right at home using a hair straightener. The combination of heat and pressure you get by clamping down is enough to isolate THC and melt it together into a nice THC-rich blob of extract.

Ice, Ice Water, or Dry Ice

Extracts can also be made by using ice, ice water, or dry ice along with a series of sieves to knock resin off of cannabis nugs. Since all that oily resin doesn’t dissolve in water, it’s relatively easy to separate it back out again. This method doesn’t use any sort of chemical and so is known for creating extracts that are especially clean, pure, and healthy.

So What Is Bubble Hash?

For starters, bubble hash is—like the name suggests—a form of hash. And like all hash, this stuff is super potent. It’s made by agitating trichome-heavy cannabis flowers using ice and ice water.

As the resin is pulled off the plant matter, it passes through a series of bubble bags, each of which separates out the resin from both the plant and the ice. Once the resin is collected it’s then pressed into the final product: bubble hash.

Bubble hash has found its most enthusiastic followers among cannabis fans who are health conscious and who are worried about products that have been processed using chemicals like butane. Similarly, medical marijuana patients who are especially worried about consuming any sort of chemical tend to choose bubble hash over other extracts.

How To Consume Bubble Hash

The way you consume bubble hash depends on its overall quality. You should smoke low- to mid-grade bubble hash the same way you would any other cannabis product. You can toss it in a bowl, add it to a spliff or a joint, or whatever else you want to do.

But when your bubble hash is more pure—when it contains almost nothing other than pure resin—you can go ahead and dab it. Avoid dabbing at super high temps, though, as this will ruin the overall flavor of the hash.

Regardless of how you consume it, count on getting a really potent dose of THC when smoking bubble hash. After a sesh with some of this stuff, you will be flying sky high. And since it was made without ever coming into contact with any sort of chemical, you can rest easy, fully assured that you just hit a super clean, super pure extract.

Nick is a Green Rush Daily staff writer from Fort Collins, Colorado. He has been at the epicenter of the cannabis boom from the beginning. He holds a Masters in English Literature and a Ph.D. in cannabis (figuratively of course).